Saki monkeys pick 49ers to win Super Bowl

Updated 10:33 pm, Tuesday, January 29, 2013

This saki monkey picks the 49ers on an iPad at Moody Gardens. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

This saki monkey picks the 49ers on an iPad at Moody Gardens. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

Photo: Moody Gardens

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Bridgette Adams waits for a monkey to make its choice. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

Bridgette Adams waits for a monkey to make its choice. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

Photo: Moody Gardens

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T’Noya Gonzales holds an iPad with the Ravens logo and Adams holds one with the 49ers logo as the monkeys decide. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

T’Noya Gonzales holds an iPad with the Ravens logo and Adams holds one with the 49ers logo as the monkeys decide. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

Photo: Moody Gardens

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Don't think about bringing an iPad for a re-vote. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

Don't think about bringing an iPad for a re-vote. (PRNewsFoto/Moody Gardens)

Photo: Moody Gardens

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Only the park's marine biologists are authorized to provide the monkeys with iPad.

Only the park's marine biologists are authorized to provide the monkeys with iPad.

Photo: Moody Gardens Galveston Island

Saki monkeys pick 49ers to win Super Bowl

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If you wondering which team will take home this year's Super Bowl trophy, don't look to Las Vegas or your local bookie for predictions.

Just talk to the hands - as in some friendly monkey hands at Moody Gardens Galveston Island.

Using iPads at their Rainforest Pyramid home, two saki monkeys recently tapped the San Francisco 49ers to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday's game.

But it wasn't exactly a smooth, eh ... climb, for the vivacious trio. In fact, it was a split decision.

One of the monkeys selected the 49ers logo on an iPad, while a second saki countered with a vote for the Ravens.

With the vote tied, a third monkey cast the deciding vote. He made his feelings known by painting unhappy faces on the Raven's logo, a Moody Gardens official said.

"Frankie put frown faces all over the Ravens team (logo), so I think he's pretty determined that San Francisco is gonna win," said Jerri Hamachek, marketing and public relations manager at Moody Gardens.

Now that the winning team has been decided, don't count on bringing your iPad to Moody Gardens for a re-vote, a park officials said.

"We want people to come visit Moody Gardens, but we want to make sure that our guests don't bring their iPads in with the expectations to engage with the monkeys," Hamachek said.

Only the park's marine biologists are authorized to provide the monkeys with iPads as part of an enrichment program to increase their activities while in captivity, she said.

The Rainforest Pyramid is a 10-story glass structure that is home to more than 1,000 species of plants and animals from around the world. Many of the animals, including the sakis and cotton-top tamarins, are free-roaming.

Brian Hill, spokesman at the Houston Zoo, said there are no plans to have any monkeys or other animals pick a Super Bowl champ.

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